Pizza Chicken

Pepperoni and cheese are stuffed in a chicken breasts that bake in red sauce to create an easy Pizza Chicken recipe that we love!

An Easy Meal Idea With Chicken Breasts

Lean chicken breasts bake in the familiar flavors of pizza to create an enjoyable meal that’s high in protein, low in carbs and delicious!

Our favorite combination is coating chicken with mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese then finishing with Italian seasoning on top. We tested using a bag of shredded parmesan and it didn’t melt smoothly to give the best visual appearance.

If you love supreme pizza then add up to a cup and a half of chopped mushrooms, onions, peppers and olives around the edge of the dish. This recipe is easy to customize based on what ingredients you have on hand and what you enjoy eating.

We tested just tossing whole breasts in the dish like in our Chicken Parmesan Casserole, but since this is served plain the cheese melts off easier. So we add the extra step of cutting a slit in each piece to stuff in a little cheese and pepperoni.

While we love enjoying a plain chicken breast on a chop salad, sometimes we need new ideas to help us keep eating chicken. Just like our Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers and Sausage Mac and Cheese, this chicken casserole is a regular meal on our menu!

Ingredients Needed

• Chicken Breasts – start with boneless, skinless breasts and trim any remaining fat
• Garlic, Salt and Pepper – we love using this McCormick blend to season meat and potatoes
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Red Sauce – we like a pasta sauce, marinara and some pizza sauce is too sweet for our preference
• Pepperoni – adds a nice flavor dynamic and helps create the pizza flavor
• Parmesan Cheese – so good baked on top of the chicken for a nice flavorful coating
• Mushrooms / Olives / Bell Peppers / Onions – Optional – add up to 1 1/2 cups of additional veggies around the edge of the pan. Use a deep 9 x 13″ dish to hold more ingredients.

How to Make Pizza Chicken Bake

Cut a slit in the center of each piece of chicken so that it opens like a book, but is still attached in the center.

Add a layer of mozzarella cheese and then a layer of 4 to 6 pepperonis per piece of meat.

Fold the chicken neatly closed and season the top of the meat with the garlic, salt and pepper mixture.

If adding mushrooms or other veggies around the edges of the chicken to fill in any gaps in the pan.

Then add a layer of sauce on top of the chicken.

Next sprinkle more mozzarella cheese and top with grated parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

Bake in an oven preheated to 350℉ for 50 to 60 minutes.

PRO TIP – Use a digital meat thermometer and remove the chicken from the oven when it reaches 160℉. Let the chicken rest on the stove for ten minutes and it will continue to cook to 165℉ which is the safe finished cooking temperature for poultry.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• This pizza chicken bake reheats really well. We love making a big batch and reheating for fast meals throughout the week.
• There is variability in the baking time depending how big the chicken breasts are and how packed full the pan is. When meat is spread out it will bake faster than when the dish is packed as full as possible.
• Using an extra deep 9×13″ dish allows us to add more veggies making more of a casserole and a full one dish meal.
• Use extra sauce or have some on hand to help keep chicken moist when reheating

More Easy Meal Ideas

Crock Pot Pizza Casserole and Spaghetti Pizza are full meals that also has pizza inspired recipe!

Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers are another delicious spin on a popular meal.

Shake and Bake Porks Chops from Love Bakes Good Cakes